Lincoln orders armies to advance

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May 24, 2018

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A+E Networks

On this day in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issues General War Order No. 1, ordering all land and sea forces to advance on February 22, 1862. This bold move sent a message to his commanders that the president was tired of excuses and delays in seizing the offensive against Confederate forces.

The unusual order was the product of a number of factors. Lincoln had a new secretary of war, Edwin Stanton, who replaced thecorrupt Simon Cameron. The president had also been brushing up on his readingsabout military strategy. Lincoln felt that if enough force were brought to bear on the Confederates simultaneously, theywould break. This was a simple plan that ignored a host of other factors, but Lincoln felt that if the Confederates “…weakened one to strengthen another,” the Union could step in and “seize and hold the one weakened.” The primary reason for the order, however, was General George McClellan, commander of the Army of the Potomac in the East. McClellan had a deep contempt forthe presidentthat had become increasingly apparent since Lincoln appointedhim in July 1861. McClellan had shown great reluctance to reveal his plans to the president, andexhibited no signs of moving his army in the near future.

Lincoln wanted to convey a sense of urgency to all the military leaders, and it worked in the West. Union armies in Tennessee began to move, and General Ulysses S. Grant captured Fort Henry and Fort Donelson on the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, respectively. McClellan, however, did not respond. Lincoln’s order called for strict accountability for each commander who did not follow the order, but the president had to handle McClellan carefully. Becausethe generalhad the backing of many Democrats andhad whipped the Army of the Potomac into fine fighting shape over the winter, Lincoln had to give McClellan a chance to command in the field.

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